Franklin Graham’s Festival of Hope
READING TIME: 22 MINUTES
The following are the notes to the discussion found at this link (https://www.facebook.com/tammy.cheetham.77/videos/436261360206911/) for anyone who would like to study the subject more in depth.
Yes, we wanted to discuss this upcoming event set for Sept. 21-23. And, just for a bit of information about his festivals in general, from the billy graham. org website we learn that “Franklin Graham conducts Festivals around the world as an evangelist for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Since 1989, he has preached to more than 7 million people in cities from Johannesburg, South Africa to Tupelo, Mississippi (https://billygraham.org.uk/festivals-celebrations/). And, then from the tbn.org site we learn that in May of 2012 Franklin Graham appeared on one of their “Praise the Lord” programs and Jan Crouch introduced him this way: “Since 1989 Franklin Graham has preached in more than 150 evangelistic festivals in 37 states and nearly 40 countries.” (And, doing the math with these numbers we could suppose he has conducted anywhere from 20-30 Festivals in the last six years for a grand total of 170-180). Now, for those who are unfamiliar with the ecumenical nature of these events, this might seem like a wonderful thing. But, as we will explain during this discussion, these festivals have promoted false unity and are part of the groundwork that is being laid for the new world order).
Sister Tammy, would you share the information you have gathered concerning this upcoming festival?
(https://www.lancashirefestivalofhope.co.uk/) The purpose of the Festival of Hope is to share with as many people as possible, the simple gospel message summarized in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Nearly 200 Lancashire churches have engaged so far in the Festival process. In the recent Christian Life & Witness training course, over 1300 church members participated in the preparation stage. The Festival will be a positive event, and the largest ecumenical Christian event in Lancashire for a generation. There is a great deal of excitement amongst large parts of Lancashire’s Christian community as we prepare to share the hope of Jesus Christ.
Some of the Churches listed that have been involved in the Festival process and held the Christian Life and Witness Training Course include Christians Alive Lancaster, All Hallows Bispham, The Well Church, Lancashire and these are affiliated with the Alpha Course which we know is dangerous to be getting caught up with. Here is some information about the Alpha course and its affiliation to the Anglican Church and the problems with this because participating in the Lancashire Festival of Hope are many Anglican Churches that are ecumenical in nature and to be avoided. Nicky Gumbel states - We did 1st Alpha Conference for Catholics in 1996 Saw the most amazing outpouring of the Holy Spirit at that conference. That night I went home and read again Acts 10— “If God has given them the same Spirit, who are we to oppose God?” “The same Spirit lives in the Catholics, and the Orthodox, and the Pentecostals and the Protestants, even the Anglicans have the same Holy Spirit living within them. – You see the problem here! Later on in the article we learn that others are recognizing these errors, quoting from the Lighthouse Trails research blog we read “It is important to recognize that Alpha’s creation in the Anglican Church is significant. The Anglican Church dates back to the 16th century when King Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church, which would not allow him to get a divorce. Henry decided to use his throne to pass a series of laws to prevent the office of the Pope from having any authority in England. One of these laws, titled “The Act of Supremacy,” declared the King of England to be the head of the newly formed Church of England, giving him virtually the same level of authority in England as the Pope had over the Catholic Church. As a result, the Anglican Church is a curious and ecumenical mix of Catholicism and Protestantism. The 39 articles of Anglican belief developed in the reign of Elizabeth I laid out the Protestant doctrine and practice of the Anglican Church but were deliberately written to be so vague that they were open to various interpretations by Protestants and Catholics alike. With 80 million members worldwide today, the Anglican Church (which includes the Episcopal church) is largely in sync with the liberal political, theological, and ecumenical worldviews seen throughout postmodern Protestantism today. So it should not surprise anyone that Anglicanism finds a strong voice in evangelical circles via the Alpha Course by those who value unity over truth, social justice over the true Gospel, and a strong desire to reconnect with our “vintage” faith—marching off to reconcile with Rome at the end of the day. “
That’s what makes us one!”
The Well Church also promotes an end time revival in which we know more of a falling away is coming and any revival including ecumenism is for sure leading people to a one world order.
A few other churches I have found listed on the Lancashire Festival of Hope website are All Hallows Bispham – on their calendar of event they included Pilates and Belly dancing, nothing Christian about this and as we know Pilates can open doors to many things spiritually wrong including mind control and focused breathing patterns, self-hypnosis and visualization. Pilates relates to yoga and is rooted in Hinduism. We need to examine all things, and can we really say with a clear conscience that belly dancing honours God?
(You know, sister Tammy, in other discussions we have mentioned the fact that at Billy Graham crusades decision cards were given to Catholic churches and that the implications of this is horrendous. But, now, it is heartbreaking to think of unbelievers hearing the basic gospel message of John 3:16 at one of these festivals and then being connected to one of these evangelical or Anglican churches that is actually not preaching the simple gospel message. There is no longer just a concern about decision cards being given to Catholic churches, but about them being given to Protestant churches as well!)
Franklin Graham has with allowed Catholics on stage previously and we can see no letting up on his affiliations or any repentance. Sister Connie will share further on this later in the discussion. His idea of changing the world instead of emphasis on preaching the gospel for souls to be saved is apparent, it is more about changing the political system and getting people to live morally right to make this world a better place etc. He is leading people to get caught up in politics because he thinks God gave him this to do and actually he is following in his father’s footsteps to being about a one world order because he also engaged in spiritual endeavours with other religions (especially Catholics) for the sake of peace and unity so called and making people behave in the world, stopping abortion and homosexuality is a main thrust and this they think is okay to use the political system in doing so yet when did the political system ever change hearts and lives? Never and it is a shift in faith to a man rather than to God Who deals with sinful man through the preaching of the Gospel rather than a system that is of the world. We are commanded to be separate in the bible and not to join with a harlot! We cannot join with error and make it become truth.
Thank you so much for all of that important information, sister Tammy.
Now, we want to discuss the musical groups that will perform at this event. Sadly, some people think the music by any group that labels itself Christian is safe, but this is not so. 1 John 4:1 says to try the spirits and this we must do. The first one I will mention is a group called the Afters, and from Christian music. com (http://www.christianmusic.com/afters/afters.htm) we learn that they are an alternative CCM rock outfit. And, just to insert here that CCM stands for Contemporary Christian Music. This music is one of the most powerful forces of the end-times ecumenical movement. It is the music of the “one-world church.” And, sister Tammy you will be mentioning an article later from our website that discusses these statements more.
Continuing with some statements by Josh Havens, guitarist and vocalist for the Afters: "Our music is about finding common ground and looking past the simple labels that people use to divide the world into easily defined subcultures.” Discussing one of their albums Havens said, "We're all in this world living our life, trying to do our best and trying to figure out why we're here. Essentially, the album is about running the race of life. At the end of the race, there are winners and losers. With these songs, we explored a utopian outlook where everyone wins and everyone lives for something greater than their own desires." (Well, anytime we hear the phrase “common ground” that’s a huge red flag. And, then it is quite odd for anyone who considers himself a Christian to include himself with those who might be trying to figure out why they’re here. And, saying the songs explored a utopian outlook where everyone wins would have to be considered universalism).
Marc Dodd, the drummer for the group had this to say: “We are wanting to transform and figure out what life is all about. That transformation process can be a good thing. It’s just a matter of allowing God to step in and take the reins.” (Again, with the figuring out what life is all about. This should not be an issue for a true believer.)
This is the chorus to one of their songs called “Live on Forever”:
We're gonna live on
Forever, forever, forever
We're gonna live on
Forever, forever, forever
We are not where we belong
We have a hope we're gonna live on
Forever, forever, forever
So, they have repeated the word “forever” several times and an article I read about hypnotic manipulation states that the lyrics in most Christian songs are very repetitive and serve as good trance inducers. The trance-state brings the subject’s subconscious mind to the surface. Subsequently, the subject in trance is more prone to receiving suggestions in a less critical fashion. The ease of suggestion-acceptance is occasioned by the absence of the analytical conscious mind, which questions and assesses information more rationally and critically. Basically we could say that after listening to this music for an hour, a person’s critical thinking skills are not working properly, and they are likely to believe anything a speaker has to say at this point. Additionally, this song “Live on Forever” mentions heaven, but not God, Jesus, or the gospel.
Now, I want to read the lyrics to the chorus for their song called “Beautiful Love” which was selected as the theme song for a MTV series called “8th & Ocean,” but first here is a description of this program: A group of aspiring models, both male and female, live together in a South Beach apartment complex while they try to break through in the competitive world of modeling in Miami. The show follows them on and off the job, from photo shoots to forays into South Beach's famous nightlife.
What a Beautiful smile
Can I stay for a while
On this beautiful night
We'll make everything right
My beautiful love
My beautiful love
(https://www.christianretailing.com/index.php/newsletter/previous-issues/43-industry-news/12483-the-afters-beautiful-love-chosen-as-mtv-theme-song)
Now, before I comment I want to read this statement by Josh Havens, the guitarist and vocalist, as I mentioned earlier, in an interview with Relevant Magazine: “When you go into a store to purchase music you’re going to find a Christian music section, but it doesn’t just encompass praise music (but) … it is categorized by faith. I would hope that music would be no different than anything else for a Christian. You’re going to do it for the glory of God, because it’s important to you just like any other part of your life. We want to make music for everyone, not just Christians. We don’t want our music to be judged by our faith. We don’t want people to give us merit because of our faith or to discount us because of our faith. We want people to look and judge the music on its own. (So, you are wanting to write music for the glory of God, but you think it’s okay for one of your songs to be the theme song for a show that aired on MTV? And, as I read the description of the show we understand this is not a show true believers would watch. And, you know, sister Tammy, this is exactly what happens when those who consider themselves Christians go into the Arts and Entertainment mountain of the 7 mtn. mandate which we have discussed many times. True Christianity is watered down every time, and rather than displaying to unbelievers what a true relationship with Jesus Christ looks like, compromise occurs).
Now, I want to mention another group that will perform at this event. Its name is Rend Collective and it is described as a Northern Irish Christian experimental, folk rock, worship band originating from Bangor, Northern Ireland.
One of their songs, "Build Your Kingdom Here," is a revivalist hymn with a stunning music video to match. “We wanted to communicate something of the truth that the Kingdom of God is an inclusive, welcoming and diverse community - there are no outsiders; we are the church,” says Chris. “It’s significant politically for us that the video is filmed half in the North and half in the South of Ireland, given our history of conflict. We think it’s a beautiful picture of unity.” (http://www.breathecast.com/articles/rend-collective-experiment-tenth-avenue-north-news-music-christian-4626/)
"This song came from a place of calling the Church back to the place of praying for revival. I feel like we've matured, and we must mature beyond just asking for God to come and do stuff.” (https://www.newreleasetoday.com/article.php?article_id=1127)
Here is a verse from their song, “Build Your kingdom here,” that I just mentioned.
Build Your kingdom here
Let the darkness fear
Show Your mighty hand
Heal our streets and land
Set Your church on fire
Win this nation back
Change the atmosphere
Build Your kingdom here
We pray
And, then, during an interview from 2014 one of the group’s members said this while describing how the group got its name: “Another part of the name Collective is that, after twenty-five years of fighting in Northern Ireland, we’re looking for unity in the body of Christ. People have said that the fighting was about Catholics versus Protestants, but really it was mostly political. We want to people to know: Catholic, Methodist, Pentecostal—we all belong to Christ.”
Then I wanted to mention an article about a service held on Jan. 21, 2015 at the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, VA, the night before the March for Life event that year. Matt Maher, whom you will mention in a moment, sister Tammy, and Rend Collective performed that night. Here are some of the comments by the author of the article: “It was good to be with thousands of worshippers from all across the nation, as a Protestant who felt very much at home among Roman Catholic brothers and sisters praising the Lord. Confession was offered throughout the evening. The printed program for the evening included a section on “How to go to the Sacrament of Penance.” Then, specifically about Matt Maher, the author said he sees his ministry as one to “unify the Church” and bring the “voices from different streams together.” And, then, one of the most powerful testimonies of our oneness in the Body of Christ was the opening worship with the Northern Irish worship band Rend Collective. The band hails from Bangor, a town in County Down, on the Northern Ireland seacoast. Their participation in the Catholic Diocese of Arlington’s “Life is VERY Good” event is witness to Catholics and Protestants alike, both here and in Northern Ireland that different parts of the Body of Christ should rejoice in each other’s different expressions of faith and in our oneness in Him.” (https://juicyecumenism.com/2015/01/26/life-good-one/) (So, with this group we see red flags concerning false unity, false revival, dominion theology, and an expectation that Jesus will heal lands and deal with nations now rather than during the millennium. And, let’s just read Dan. 7:13-14 to show this actually will happen after Christ's return: “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. And there was given him Dominion, and Glory, and a Kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him: His Dominion is an everlasting Dominion, which shall not pass away, and His Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed”).
And, sister Tammy, would you discuss Michael W. Smith, the other performer for this occasion, please?
Michael W. Smith performed at the Catholic-sponsored World Youth Day in Denver, Colorado, in 1993. Smith also wrote the foreword to Catholic Brennan Manning’s “The Ragamuffin Gospel.” In the fall of 2009, Michael W. Smith toured with Catholic Matt Maher on the “New Hallelujah Tour.” – (https://www.facebook.com/tammy.cheetham.77/videos/vb.100014691523242/273251946507854/?type=2&video_source=user_video_tab The Ecumenical Work of Catholic Contemporary Christian Music Artist, Matt Maher).
The 2002 religious film titled JOSHUA starring Tony Goldwyn and F. Murray Abraham is 100% pro-Catholic. And to no surprise, because the film is based upon a novel written by a Roman Catholic priest!!! The fact that the producer hired Michael W. Smith proves that Smith is a wishy-washy compromiser, an ecumenical apostate, and the enemy of God. - Taken from an article I read.
Thank you for that, sister Tammy.
Now, I want to share three items to show that Franklin Graham basically believes that Catholicism is just another denomination within Christianity.
One is that this past December, after the ceremony for the lighting of the national Christmas tree took place at the White House, Franklin Graham said this about Pres. Trump: "Whether you are Protestant, evangelical, Orthodox, Catholic -- all Christians need to get behind him with our prayers." (https://www.cnsnews.com/blog/michael-w-chapman/rev-graham-no-president-my-lifetime-has-defended-christian-faith-trump) (So, Graham makes no distinction between these groups when there actually is a huge difference, which I will mention in just a few moments. But, in that statement, people will only focus on the fact that Graham said we should pray for the president. And, changing our focus like that is a device the enemy of our souls often uses).
A second item is an incident that occurred this past February on the program called “The View.” One of the guests said Mike Pence thinks Jesus tells him to say things.” Co-host Joy Behar responded to this by saying, “It’s one thing to talk to Jesus. It’s another thing when Jesus talks to you. That’s called mental illness.” Then, in response to Joy Behar’s comments, Franklin Graham had this to say: “Every Christian who is listening right now – whether you are a Catholic, whether you are a Protestant – Baptist, Evangelical, - whatever you may be – Pentecostal – this should scare the socks off of you.” (http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2018/02/18/franklin-graham-says-views-anti-christian-rhetoric-should-alarm-christians.html) (So, again we see how the focus wasn’t on Graham’s lumping all these groups together as Christian, but rather that Christians should be scared about this statement. And, as we have said many times in these discussions, every news story has a story behind it and there is an ulterior motive. Satan is working hard to establish false unity as he lays the groundwork for the one world religion).
And, the third item is that in a facebook post from Sept. of 2016, Franklin Graham made this statement: “I appreciate the Catholic Church remaining very strong on moral issues through the years, and I pray they will be immovable on the teachings of the Bible.”
But, we would strongly disagree with that assertion. I mean, immovable on the issues of the Bible? Seriously? I would like to ask Franklin Graham where he sees the following beliefs of the Catholic church in the Bible: The papacy, worship/adoration of Mary (or the immaculate conception of Mary, the perpetual virginity of Mary, the assumption of Mary, or Mary as co-redemptrix and mediatrix), petitioning saints in heaven for their prayers, apostolic succession, the ordinances of the church functioning as sacraments, infant baptism, confession of sin to a priest, or the office of priest at all, purgatory, indulgences, or the equal authority of church tradition and Scripture.
Now, in just a minute I am going to give some examples of the ecumenical nature of Graham’s festivals. But, first I want to mention that Franklin Graham is just following in his father’s footsteps in conducting ecumenical events. In a 1999 newspaper interview, Franklin Graham said that his father's decision early in his ministry to cultivate broad ecumenical participation in his crusades, including the Roman Catholic church, was "the best thing he ever did." He went on to say, "In the early years, up in Boston, the Catholic church got behind my father's crusade. That was a first. It took back many Protestants. They didn't know how to handle it. But it set the example. 'If Billy Graham is willing to work with everybody, then maybe we should too' " (The Indianapolis Star, June 3, 1999). (But, this was not an example any evangelical should have set. We have already mentioned that decision cards filled out by those who came forward for altar calls at Billy Graham’s crusades were given to Catholic churches if the person mentioned a previous association with Catholicism. But, I just recently learned something concerning what Catholics would think when they heard the phrase come forward to “receive Christ” or “make a decision for Christ” at one of Billy Graham’s crusades or Franklin Graham’s festivals. And, that is, they do not think in terms of the once-for-all act spoken of in passages such as John 1:12 and Acts 16:31. For a Catholic, "receiving Christ" is something that is done continually through the sacrament of the mass, because (as Rome teaches it) one must continually depend on the Catholic church for salvation. So, just how sad is that?) (http://www.teachingtheword.org/apps/articles/?articleid=59680&columnid=5787)
And, now for the examples showing the ecumenism of Graham’s festivals in the past: (http://www.teachingtheword.org/apps/articles/?articleid=59680&columnid=5787)
In 1998, Franklin Graham conducted a crusade in Adelaide, Australia. Archbishop Leonard Faulkner of the Catholic diocese of Adelaide was present at the media kick-off event for the crusade in late 1997, and voiced the church's support. The Festival South Australia News said, “The Archbishops agreed that Festival SA with Franklin Graham next January would be the greatest event the churches have seen in this State’s history.” Almost 400 churches registered for Graham’s Christian Life & Witness Course which was conducted in preparation for the crusade. Twenty-three denominations were represented. The churches included 49 Roman Catholic, 30 Churches of Christ (which teach baptismal regeneration), 25 Anglican, 1 Greek Orthodox (which teaches a sacramental gospel), and 3 Seventh-day Adventist (which teaches death is only sleep, and punishment in hell is not eternal, among other things).
In April 2000, the vice-chairman of the Franklin Graham Festival in Lubbock, Texas was Paul Key, evangelism director for the Catholic Diocese of Lubbock. Key had been an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church, but converted to Roman Catholicism and has now been ordained a priest of Rome. Key was ordained a priest despite the fact that he is married and has two children. The Vatican will break its rules if a prominent "Protestant" will come "home to Rome." Paul Key is the author of a book titled “95 Reasons for Becoming or Remaining a Roman Catholic,” which has been touted as a Catholic answer to Martin Luther's 95 Theses.
In June 2002, Franklin Graham conducted a Festival in Cincinnati, Ohio in which five Roman Catholic parishes of that city actively participated. In preparation for the crusade, these parishes conducted week-long training programs to prepare Catholic counselors to deal with those who came forward in response to Graham's invitations. As reported in The Catholic Telegraph, invitations were sent out to 9,000 Catholics to request their participation in the training program, and hundreds responded. Catholic priest Charles Bowes told his parish that the Graham mission was a "golden opportunity to evangelize Catholics and to help (their) parish." (The Catholic Telegraph, May 10, 2002).
In 2006, many Roman Catholics were trained as counselors for the Festival conducted by Franklin Graham at the Camden Yards stadium in Baltimore. Catholic priest Erik Arnold of the Church of the Crucifixion in Glen Burnie, Maryland, led the team of 225 Catholic counselors who participated in the crusade. He said, "It was a great opportunity for the Christian churches to show their unity in leading people to Christ" ("Catholic Counselors Attend Billy Graham Festival," The Catholic Review, July 12, 2006).
Also in 2006, Roman Catholics participated in a festival conducted by Franklin Graham in Winnipeg, Canada. Each diocese in central Canada was represented on the festival executive committee. Catholic bishops were assured that, "Following in the footsteps of his father, Franklin Graham will present basic Christianity. The Catholic will hear no slighting of the Church's teaching on Mary or authority, nor of papal or Episcopal prerogative; no word against the Mass/Divine Liturgy or sacraments, nor of Catholic practices or customs" ("Central Canada 2006 Franklin Graham Festival Background and Pastoral Notes for Catholic Clergy and Workers," by Luis Melo, Director of Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Affairs, Archdiocese of Saint Boniface).
And, then, this from the Grahamfestivals.org site before the fact: “In the summer of 2009, Franklin Graham is conducting what the Graham organization is calling the "Rock the River Tour" of "Franklin Graham Festivals" in cities along the Mississippi River, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana all the way to Minneapolis, Minnesota. The format for Rock the River will be [rock] music, the language of youth, and a relevant message. Some of the hottest Christian bands will share the stage with Franklin to give Christians the opportunity to invite their friends to a quality concert. The Good News of the Gospel will be preached and an opportunity to respond will be given. Excellent training preparation and follow-up will be the standard, as with all Billy Graham outreaches.
And who will "join together in sharing this Gospel"? In an April 23, 2009 article in The Catholic Spirit, official newspaper of the archdiocese of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Archbishop John C. Nienstedt wrote: "I have been contacted by representatives of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, who inform me that they are sponsoring four events this summer in cities along the Mississippi River, called Rock the River Tour." Nienstadt appealed to Roman Catholics to volunteer "to counsel the youth who will be present, toward a deeper conversion of faith." And, he added, Catholics can participate freely because "I have been assured that there will be no attempt to proselytize young people into an evangelical church. Each person will be encouraged to make contact with his or her church affiliation, whether current or lapsed. . . . They state they are not coming to take from our religious communities, but to invest in our youth."
And, then from the Christian Post August 3, 2009, reporting on one of these festivals we read: “Around 65,000 youth and young adults flooded the Gateway Arch Grounds in St. Louis on Sunday to hear the sounds of Christian rock, hip-hop, and rap artists, as well as messages delivered by evangelist Franklin Graham.”
And, for one more example, at the August 15-17, 2014 gathering called “Three Rivers Festival of Hope” in Pittsburgh, PA, Franklin Graham brought in Catholic Bishop David Zubik to give the opening prayer in front of 26,000 attendees. Zubik mentioned Orthodox, Presbyterian, Baptist, Lutheran, and Catholic and said that despite our differences, what draws us here is Your Son, Jesus Christ. And, then, a newspaper article advertising the Franklin Graham event stated that those who respond to Rev. Graham’s invitation to make a decision for Christ, and who identify as Catholic, will be given the opportunity to go to Epiphany Church — adjacent to the Consol Energy Center — for the sacrament of reconciliation, or confession. “We’re right next door,” Bishop Zubik said. (http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=15966#.VOopl5dpbNY.facebook)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UuY9DgXFgU) (Well, isn’t that convenient? But, actually how horrible…)
So, now armed with all this information we can clearly see why the first article you shared from, sister Tammy, would have said this event is going to be the largest ecumenical Christian event in Lancashire for a generation.
Well, that is all I have, sister Tammy, and we just pray that people will stop holding up Franklin Graham as some kind of an idol and understand that these festivals have promoted false unity and are part of the groundwork that is being laid for the new world order.
READING TIME: 22 MINUTES
The following are the notes to the discussion found at this link (https://www.facebook.com/tammy.cheetham.77/videos/436261360206911/) for anyone who would like to study the subject more in depth.
Yes, we wanted to discuss this upcoming event set for Sept. 21-23. And, just for a bit of information about his festivals in general, from the billy graham. org website we learn that “Franklin Graham conducts Festivals around the world as an evangelist for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Since 1989, he has preached to more than 7 million people in cities from Johannesburg, South Africa to Tupelo, Mississippi (https://billygraham.org.uk/festivals-celebrations/). And, then from the tbn.org site we learn that in May of 2012 Franklin Graham appeared on one of their “Praise the Lord” programs and Jan Crouch introduced him this way: “Since 1989 Franklin Graham has preached in more than 150 evangelistic festivals in 37 states and nearly 40 countries.” (And, doing the math with these numbers we could suppose he has conducted anywhere from 20-30 Festivals in the last six years for a grand total of 170-180). Now, for those who are unfamiliar with the ecumenical nature of these events, this might seem like a wonderful thing. But, as we will explain during this discussion, these festivals have promoted false unity and are part of the groundwork that is being laid for the new world order).
Sister Tammy, would you share the information you have gathered concerning this upcoming festival?
(https://www.lancashirefestivalofhope.co.uk/) The purpose of the Festival of Hope is to share with as many people as possible, the simple gospel message summarized in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Nearly 200 Lancashire churches have engaged so far in the Festival process. In the recent Christian Life & Witness training course, over 1300 church members participated in the preparation stage. The Festival will be a positive event, and the largest ecumenical Christian event in Lancashire for a generation. There is a great deal of excitement amongst large parts of Lancashire’s Christian community as we prepare to share the hope of Jesus Christ.
Some of the Churches listed that have been involved in the Festival process and held the Christian Life and Witness Training Course include Christians Alive Lancaster, All Hallows Bispham, The Well Church, Lancashire and these are affiliated with the Alpha Course which we know is dangerous to be getting caught up with. Here is some information about the Alpha course and its affiliation to the Anglican Church and the problems with this because participating in the Lancashire Festival of Hope are many Anglican Churches that are ecumenical in nature and to be avoided. Nicky Gumbel states - We did 1st Alpha Conference for Catholics in 1996 Saw the most amazing outpouring of the Holy Spirit at that conference. That night I went home and read again Acts 10— “If God has given them the same Spirit, who are we to oppose God?” “The same Spirit lives in the Catholics, and the Orthodox, and the Pentecostals and the Protestants, even the Anglicans have the same Holy Spirit living within them. – You see the problem here! Later on in the article we learn that others are recognizing these errors, quoting from the Lighthouse Trails research blog we read “It is important to recognize that Alpha’s creation in the Anglican Church is significant. The Anglican Church dates back to the 16th century when King Henry VIII broke away from the Catholic Church, which would not allow him to get a divorce. Henry decided to use his throne to pass a series of laws to prevent the office of the Pope from having any authority in England. One of these laws, titled “The Act of Supremacy,” declared the King of England to be the head of the newly formed Church of England, giving him virtually the same level of authority in England as the Pope had over the Catholic Church. As a result, the Anglican Church is a curious and ecumenical mix of Catholicism and Protestantism. The 39 articles of Anglican belief developed in the reign of Elizabeth I laid out the Protestant doctrine and practice of the Anglican Church but were deliberately written to be so vague that they were open to various interpretations by Protestants and Catholics alike. With 80 million members worldwide today, the Anglican Church (which includes the Episcopal church) is largely in sync with the liberal political, theological, and ecumenical worldviews seen throughout postmodern Protestantism today. So it should not surprise anyone that Anglicanism finds a strong voice in evangelical circles via the Alpha Course by those who value unity over truth, social justice over the true Gospel, and a strong desire to reconnect with our “vintage” faith—marching off to reconcile with Rome at the end of the day. “
That’s what makes us one!”
The Well Church also promotes an end time revival in which we know more of a falling away is coming and any revival including ecumenism is for sure leading people to a one world order.
A few other churches I have found listed on the Lancashire Festival of Hope website are All Hallows Bispham – on their calendar of event they included Pilates and Belly dancing, nothing Christian about this and as we know Pilates can open doors to many things spiritually wrong including mind control and focused breathing patterns, self-hypnosis and visualization. Pilates relates to yoga and is rooted in Hinduism. We need to examine all things, and can we really say with a clear conscience that belly dancing honours God?
(You know, sister Tammy, in other discussions we have mentioned the fact that at Billy Graham crusades decision cards were given to Catholic churches and that the implications of this is horrendous. But, now, it is heartbreaking to think of unbelievers hearing the basic gospel message of John 3:16 at one of these festivals and then being connected to one of these evangelical or Anglican churches that is actually not preaching the simple gospel message. There is no longer just a concern about decision cards being given to Catholic churches, but about them being given to Protestant churches as well!)
Franklin Graham has with allowed Catholics on stage previously and we can see no letting up on his affiliations or any repentance. Sister Connie will share further on this later in the discussion. His idea of changing the world instead of emphasis on preaching the gospel for souls to be saved is apparent, it is more about changing the political system and getting people to live morally right to make this world a better place etc. He is leading people to get caught up in politics because he thinks God gave him this to do and actually he is following in his father’s footsteps to being about a one world order because he also engaged in spiritual endeavours with other religions (especially Catholics) for the sake of peace and unity so called and making people behave in the world, stopping abortion and homosexuality is a main thrust and this they think is okay to use the political system in doing so yet when did the political system ever change hearts and lives? Never and it is a shift in faith to a man rather than to God Who deals with sinful man through the preaching of the Gospel rather than a system that is of the world. We are commanded to be separate in the bible and not to join with a harlot! We cannot join with error and make it become truth.
Thank you so much for all of that important information, sister Tammy.
Now, we want to discuss the musical groups that will perform at this event. Sadly, some people think the music by any group that labels itself Christian is safe, but this is not so. 1 John 4:1 says to try the spirits and this we must do. The first one I will mention is a group called the Afters, and from Christian music. com (http://www.christianmusic.com/afters/afters.htm) we learn that they are an alternative CCM rock outfit. And, just to insert here that CCM stands for Contemporary Christian Music. This music is one of the most powerful forces of the end-times ecumenical movement. It is the music of the “one-world church.” And, sister Tammy you will be mentioning an article later from our website that discusses these statements more.
Continuing with some statements by Josh Havens, guitarist and vocalist for the Afters: "Our music is about finding common ground and looking past the simple labels that people use to divide the world into easily defined subcultures.” Discussing one of their albums Havens said, "We're all in this world living our life, trying to do our best and trying to figure out why we're here. Essentially, the album is about running the race of life. At the end of the race, there are winners and losers. With these songs, we explored a utopian outlook where everyone wins and everyone lives for something greater than their own desires." (Well, anytime we hear the phrase “common ground” that’s a huge red flag. And, then it is quite odd for anyone who considers himself a Christian to include himself with those who might be trying to figure out why they’re here. And, saying the songs explored a utopian outlook where everyone wins would have to be considered universalism).
Marc Dodd, the drummer for the group had this to say: “We are wanting to transform and figure out what life is all about. That transformation process can be a good thing. It’s just a matter of allowing God to step in and take the reins.” (Again, with the figuring out what life is all about. This should not be an issue for a true believer.)
This is the chorus to one of their songs called “Live on Forever”:
We're gonna live on
Forever, forever, forever
We're gonna live on
Forever, forever, forever
We are not where we belong
We have a hope we're gonna live on
Forever, forever, forever
So, they have repeated the word “forever” several times and an article I read about hypnotic manipulation states that the lyrics in most Christian songs are very repetitive and serve as good trance inducers. The trance-state brings the subject’s subconscious mind to the surface. Subsequently, the subject in trance is more prone to receiving suggestions in a less critical fashion. The ease of suggestion-acceptance is occasioned by the absence of the analytical conscious mind, which questions and assesses information more rationally and critically. Basically we could say that after listening to this music for an hour, a person’s critical thinking skills are not working properly, and they are likely to believe anything a speaker has to say at this point. Additionally, this song “Live on Forever” mentions heaven, but not God, Jesus, or the gospel.
Now, I want to read the lyrics to the chorus for their song called “Beautiful Love” which was selected as the theme song for a MTV series called “8th & Ocean,” but first here is a description of this program: A group of aspiring models, both male and female, live together in a South Beach apartment complex while they try to break through in the competitive world of modeling in Miami. The show follows them on and off the job, from photo shoots to forays into South Beach's famous nightlife.
What a Beautiful smile
Can I stay for a while
On this beautiful night
We'll make everything right
My beautiful love
My beautiful love
(https://www.christianretailing.com/index.php/newsletter/previous-issues/43-industry-news/12483-the-afters-beautiful-love-chosen-as-mtv-theme-song)
Now, before I comment I want to read this statement by Josh Havens, the guitarist and vocalist, as I mentioned earlier, in an interview with Relevant Magazine: “When you go into a store to purchase music you’re going to find a Christian music section, but it doesn’t just encompass praise music (but) … it is categorized by faith. I would hope that music would be no different than anything else for a Christian. You’re going to do it for the glory of God, because it’s important to you just like any other part of your life. We want to make music for everyone, not just Christians. We don’t want our music to be judged by our faith. We don’t want people to give us merit because of our faith or to discount us because of our faith. We want people to look and judge the music on its own. (So, you are wanting to write music for the glory of God, but you think it’s okay for one of your songs to be the theme song for a show that aired on MTV? And, as I read the description of the show we understand this is not a show true believers would watch. And, you know, sister Tammy, this is exactly what happens when those who consider themselves Christians go into the Arts and Entertainment mountain of the 7 mtn. mandate which we have discussed many times. True Christianity is watered down every time, and rather than displaying to unbelievers what a true relationship with Jesus Christ looks like, compromise occurs).
Now, I want to mention another group that will perform at this event. Its name is Rend Collective and it is described as a Northern Irish Christian experimental, folk rock, worship band originating from Bangor, Northern Ireland.
One of their songs, "Build Your Kingdom Here," is a revivalist hymn with a stunning music video to match. “We wanted to communicate something of the truth that the Kingdom of God is an inclusive, welcoming and diverse community - there are no outsiders; we are the church,” says Chris. “It’s significant politically for us that the video is filmed half in the North and half in the South of Ireland, given our history of conflict. We think it’s a beautiful picture of unity.” (http://www.breathecast.com/articles/rend-collective-experiment-tenth-avenue-north-news-music-christian-4626/)
"This song came from a place of calling the Church back to the place of praying for revival. I feel like we've matured, and we must mature beyond just asking for God to come and do stuff.” (https://www.newreleasetoday.com/article.php?article_id=1127)
Here is a verse from their song, “Build Your kingdom here,” that I just mentioned.
Build Your kingdom here
Let the darkness fear
Show Your mighty hand
Heal our streets and land
Set Your church on fire
Win this nation back
Change the atmosphere
Build Your kingdom here
We pray
And, then, during an interview from 2014 one of the group’s members said this while describing how the group got its name: “Another part of the name Collective is that, after twenty-five years of fighting in Northern Ireland, we’re looking for unity in the body of Christ. People have said that the fighting was about Catholics versus Protestants, but really it was mostly political. We want to people to know: Catholic, Methodist, Pentecostal—we all belong to Christ.”
Then I wanted to mention an article about a service held on Jan. 21, 2015 at the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, VA, the night before the March for Life event that year. Matt Maher, whom you will mention in a moment, sister Tammy, and Rend Collective performed that night. Here are some of the comments by the author of the article: “It was good to be with thousands of worshippers from all across the nation, as a Protestant who felt very much at home among Roman Catholic brothers and sisters praising the Lord. Confession was offered throughout the evening. The printed program for the evening included a section on “How to go to the Sacrament of Penance.” Then, specifically about Matt Maher, the author said he sees his ministry as one to “unify the Church” and bring the “voices from different streams together.” And, then, one of the most powerful testimonies of our oneness in the Body of Christ was the opening worship with the Northern Irish worship band Rend Collective. The band hails from Bangor, a town in County Down, on the Northern Ireland seacoast. Their participation in the Catholic Diocese of Arlington’s “Life is VERY Good” event is witness to Catholics and Protestants alike, both here and in Northern Ireland that different parts of the Body of Christ should rejoice in each other’s different expressions of faith and in our oneness in Him.” (https://juicyecumenism.com/2015/01/26/life-good-one/) (So, with this group we see red flags concerning false unity, false revival, dominion theology, and an expectation that Jesus will heal lands and deal with nations now rather than during the millennium. And, let’s just read Dan. 7:13-14 to show this actually will happen after Christ's return: “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. And there was given him Dominion, and Glory, and a Kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him: His Dominion is an everlasting Dominion, which shall not pass away, and His Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed”).
And, sister Tammy, would you discuss Michael W. Smith, the other performer for this occasion, please?
Michael W. Smith performed at the Catholic-sponsored World Youth Day in Denver, Colorado, in 1993. Smith also wrote the foreword to Catholic Brennan Manning’s “The Ragamuffin Gospel.” In the fall of 2009, Michael W. Smith toured with Catholic Matt Maher on the “New Hallelujah Tour.” – (https://www.facebook.com/tammy.cheetham.77/videos/vb.100014691523242/273251946507854/?type=2&video_source=user_video_tab The Ecumenical Work of Catholic Contemporary Christian Music Artist, Matt Maher).
The 2002 religious film titled JOSHUA starring Tony Goldwyn and F. Murray Abraham is 100% pro-Catholic. And to no surprise, because the film is based upon a novel written by a Roman Catholic priest!!! The fact that the producer hired Michael W. Smith proves that Smith is a wishy-washy compromiser, an ecumenical apostate, and the enemy of God. - Taken from an article I read.
Thank you for that, sister Tammy.
Now, I want to share three items to show that Franklin Graham basically believes that Catholicism is just another denomination within Christianity.
One is that this past December, after the ceremony for the lighting of the national Christmas tree took place at the White House, Franklin Graham said this about Pres. Trump: "Whether you are Protestant, evangelical, Orthodox, Catholic -- all Christians need to get behind him with our prayers." (https://www.cnsnews.com/blog/michael-w-chapman/rev-graham-no-president-my-lifetime-has-defended-christian-faith-trump) (So, Graham makes no distinction between these groups when there actually is a huge difference, which I will mention in just a few moments. But, in that statement, people will only focus on the fact that Graham said we should pray for the president. And, changing our focus like that is a device the enemy of our souls often uses).
A second item is an incident that occurred this past February on the program called “The View.” One of the guests said Mike Pence thinks Jesus tells him to say things.” Co-host Joy Behar responded to this by saying, “It’s one thing to talk to Jesus. It’s another thing when Jesus talks to you. That’s called mental illness.” Then, in response to Joy Behar’s comments, Franklin Graham had this to say: “Every Christian who is listening right now – whether you are a Catholic, whether you are a Protestant – Baptist, Evangelical, - whatever you may be – Pentecostal – this should scare the socks off of you.” (http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2018/02/18/franklin-graham-says-views-anti-christian-rhetoric-should-alarm-christians.html) (So, again we see how the focus wasn’t on Graham’s lumping all these groups together as Christian, but rather that Christians should be scared about this statement. And, as we have said many times in these discussions, every news story has a story behind it and there is an ulterior motive. Satan is working hard to establish false unity as he lays the groundwork for the one world religion).
And, the third item is that in a facebook post from Sept. of 2016, Franklin Graham made this statement: “I appreciate the Catholic Church remaining very strong on moral issues through the years, and I pray they will be immovable on the teachings of the Bible.”
But, we would strongly disagree with that assertion. I mean, immovable on the issues of the Bible? Seriously? I would like to ask Franklin Graham where he sees the following beliefs of the Catholic church in the Bible: The papacy, worship/adoration of Mary (or the immaculate conception of Mary, the perpetual virginity of Mary, the assumption of Mary, or Mary as co-redemptrix and mediatrix), petitioning saints in heaven for their prayers, apostolic succession, the ordinances of the church functioning as sacraments, infant baptism, confession of sin to a priest, or the office of priest at all, purgatory, indulgences, or the equal authority of church tradition and Scripture.
Now, in just a minute I am going to give some examples of the ecumenical nature of Graham’s festivals. But, first I want to mention that Franklin Graham is just following in his father’s footsteps in conducting ecumenical events. In a 1999 newspaper interview, Franklin Graham said that his father's decision early in his ministry to cultivate broad ecumenical participation in his crusades, including the Roman Catholic church, was "the best thing he ever did." He went on to say, "In the early years, up in Boston, the Catholic church got behind my father's crusade. That was a first. It took back many Protestants. They didn't know how to handle it. But it set the example. 'If Billy Graham is willing to work with everybody, then maybe we should too' " (The Indianapolis Star, June 3, 1999). (But, this was not an example any evangelical should have set. We have already mentioned that decision cards filled out by those who came forward for altar calls at Billy Graham’s crusades were given to Catholic churches if the person mentioned a previous association with Catholicism. But, I just recently learned something concerning what Catholics would think when they heard the phrase come forward to “receive Christ” or “make a decision for Christ” at one of Billy Graham’s crusades or Franklin Graham’s festivals. And, that is, they do not think in terms of the once-for-all act spoken of in passages such as John 1:12 and Acts 16:31. For a Catholic, "receiving Christ" is something that is done continually through the sacrament of the mass, because (as Rome teaches it) one must continually depend on the Catholic church for salvation. So, just how sad is that?) (http://www.teachingtheword.org/apps/articles/?articleid=59680&columnid=5787)
And, now for the examples showing the ecumenism of Graham’s festivals in the past: (http://www.teachingtheword.org/apps/articles/?articleid=59680&columnid=5787)
In 1998, Franklin Graham conducted a crusade in Adelaide, Australia. Archbishop Leonard Faulkner of the Catholic diocese of Adelaide was present at the media kick-off event for the crusade in late 1997, and voiced the church's support. The Festival South Australia News said, “The Archbishops agreed that Festival SA with Franklin Graham next January would be the greatest event the churches have seen in this State’s history.” Almost 400 churches registered for Graham’s Christian Life & Witness Course which was conducted in preparation for the crusade. Twenty-three denominations were represented. The churches included 49 Roman Catholic, 30 Churches of Christ (which teach baptismal regeneration), 25 Anglican, 1 Greek Orthodox (which teaches a sacramental gospel), and 3 Seventh-day Adventist (which teaches death is only sleep, and punishment in hell is not eternal, among other things).
In April 2000, the vice-chairman of the Franklin Graham Festival in Lubbock, Texas was Paul Key, evangelism director for the Catholic Diocese of Lubbock. Key had been an ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church, but converted to Roman Catholicism and has now been ordained a priest of Rome. Key was ordained a priest despite the fact that he is married and has two children. The Vatican will break its rules if a prominent "Protestant" will come "home to Rome." Paul Key is the author of a book titled “95 Reasons for Becoming or Remaining a Roman Catholic,” which has been touted as a Catholic answer to Martin Luther's 95 Theses.
In June 2002, Franklin Graham conducted a Festival in Cincinnati, Ohio in which five Roman Catholic parishes of that city actively participated. In preparation for the crusade, these parishes conducted week-long training programs to prepare Catholic counselors to deal with those who came forward in response to Graham's invitations. As reported in The Catholic Telegraph, invitations were sent out to 9,000 Catholics to request their participation in the training program, and hundreds responded. Catholic priest Charles Bowes told his parish that the Graham mission was a "golden opportunity to evangelize Catholics and to help (their) parish." (The Catholic Telegraph, May 10, 2002).
In 2006, many Roman Catholics were trained as counselors for the Festival conducted by Franklin Graham at the Camden Yards stadium in Baltimore. Catholic priest Erik Arnold of the Church of the Crucifixion in Glen Burnie, Maryland, led the team of 225 Catholic counselors who participated in the crusade. He said, "It was a great opportunity for the Christian churches to show their unity in leading people to Christ" ("Catholic Counselors Attend Billy Graham Festival," The Catholic Review, July 12, 2006).
Also in 2006, Roman Catholics participated in a festival conducted by Franklin Graham in Winnipeg, Canada. Each diocese in central Canada was represented on the festival executive committee. Catholic bishops were assured that, "Following in the footsteps of his father, Franklin Graham will present basic Christianity. The Catholic will hear no slighting of the Church's teaching on Mary or authority, nor of papal or Episcopal prerogative; no word against the Mass/Divine Liturgy or sacraments, nor of Catholic practices or customs" ("Central Canada 2006 Franklin Graham Festival Background and Pastoral Notes for Catholic Clergy and Workers," by Luis Melo, Director of Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Affairs, Archdiocese of Saint Boniface).
And, then, this from the Grahamfestivals.org site before the fact: “In the summer of 2009, Franklin Graham is conducting what the Graham organization is calling the "Rock the River Tour" of "Franklin Graham Festivals" in cities along the Mississippi River, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana all the way to Minneapolis, Minnesota. The format for Rock the River will be [rock] music, the language of youth, and a relevant message. Some of the hottest Christian bands will share the stage with Franklin to give Christians the opportunity to invite their friends to a quality concert. The Good News of the Gospel will be preached and an opportunity to respond will be given. Excellent training preparation and follow-up will be the standard, as with all Billy Graham outreaches.
And who will "join together in sharing this Gospel"? In an April 23, 2009 article in The Catholic Spirit, official newspaper of the archdiocese of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Archbishop John C. Nienstedt wrote: "I have been contacted by representatives of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, who inform me that they are sponsoring four events this summer in cities along the Mississippi River, called Rock the River Tour." Nienstadt appealed to Roman Catholics to volunteer "to counsel the youth who will be present, toward a deeper conversion of faith." And, he added, Catholics can participate freely because "I have been assured that there will be no attempt to proselytize young people into an evangelical church. Each person will be encouraged to make contact with his or her church affiliation, whether current or lapsed. . . . They state they are not coming to take from our religious communities, but to invest in our youth."
And, then from the Christian Post August 3, 2009, reporting on one of these festivals we read: “Around 65,000 youth and young adults flooded the Gateway Arch Grounds in St. Louis on Sunday to hear the sounds of Christian rock, hip-hop, and rap artists, as well as messages delivered by evangelist Franklin Graham.”
And, for one more example, at the August 15-17, 2014 gathering called “Three Rivers Festival of Hope” in Pittsburgh, PA, Franklin Graham brought in Catholic Bishop David Zubik to give the opening prayer in front of 26,000 attendees. Zubik mentioned Orthodox, Presbyterian, Baptist, Lutheran, and Catholic and said that despite our differences, what draws us here is Your Son, Jesus Christ. And, then, a newspaper article advertising the Franklin Graham event stated that those who respond to Rev. Graham’s invitation to make a decision for Christ, and who identify as Catholic, will be given the opportunity to go to Epiphany Church — adjacent to the Consol Energy Center — for the sacrament of reconciliation, or confession. “We’re right next door,” Bishop Zubik said. (http://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=15966#.VOopl5dpbNY.facebook)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UuY9DgXFgU) (Well, isn’t that convenient? But, actually how horrible…)
So, now armed with all this information we can clearly see why the first article you shared from, sister Tammy, would have said this event is going to be the largest ecumenical Christian event in Lancashire for a generation.
Well, that is all I have, sister Tammy, and we just pray that people will stop holding up Franklin Graham as some kind of an idol and understand that these festivals have promoted false unity and are part of the groundwork that is being laid for the new world order.